Conveyor vehicle and conveyor method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327902-B2
Application number	US-201113816963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2011
Priority date	Aug 31, 2010
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A transfer vehicle includes a lateral pair of extendable and retractable arms, openable and closable hooks at front and rear ends of the arms, an arm opening and closing mechanism configured to change spacing between the arms, and a controller configured and programmed to control the arms and the arm opening and closing mechanism as well as the hooks. During article pickup, the controller pulls in an article onto the transfer vehicle by causing the arms to protrude to a position beyond the article in a state in which the hooks at a distal end in a pickup direction as viewed from the transfer vehicle are opened, thereafter closing the hooks to clamp the article, opening the arms after the clamping to provide a gap between the article and at least one of the arms, and retracting the arms in a state in which the hooks are closed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transfer vehicle comprising:
a lateral pair of extendable and retractable arms, the arms each including hooks at front and rear ends of the arms, the hooks being openable and closable with respect to the arms;
an arm opening and closing mechanism configured to change spacing between the arms; and
a controller configured and programmed to control the arms, the arm opening and closing mechanism and the hooks, the controller being configured and programmed to, during article pickup:
control the arms such that the arms are advanced so as to protrude from the transfer vehicle to a position where the hooks at a distal end pass the article, while controlling hooks at the distal end along a pickup direction as viewed from the transfer vehicle in a state in which the hooks are opened;
control the arm opening and closing mechanism by closing the advanced arms so as to clamp the article and opening the arms after the clamping, such that a gap is provided between the article and at least one of the arms; and
control the arms such that the arms are retracted, while controlling the hooks at the distal ends to be in a closed state in order to pull the article onto the transfer vehicle.

2. The transfer vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured and programmed to control the arm opening and closing mechanism such that the article is clamped by the arms while the transfer vehicle is running.

3. The transfer vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured and programmed to control the hooks at the front and rear ends such that the hooks are closed while the transfer vehicle is running.

4. The transfer vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured and programmed to, during article drop off, control the arm opening and closing mechanism to provide a gap between at least one of the arms and the article, control the hooks at a proximal end along a drop off direction as viewed from the transfer vehicle in a state in which the hooks are closed, and control the arms such that the arms are advanced so as to protrude from the transfer vehicle.

5. The transfer vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the arm opening and closing mechanism includes an arm opening and closing motor.

6. The transfer vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a hook opening and closing mechanism configured to open and close the hooks.

7. The transfer vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the hook opening and closing mechanism includes a hook opening and closing motor for each of the hooks.

8. A transfer method for transferring an article using a transfer vehicle comprising a lateral pair of extendable and retractable arms, hooks arranged at front and rear ends of each of the pair of arms and openable and closable with respect to the arms, and a controller, the method being performed under control of the controller and comprising the steps of:
advancing, during article pickup, the arms so as to protrude from the transfer vehicle in a state in which the hooks at a distal end along a pickup direction as viewed from the transfer vehicle are opened, to a position at which the hooks at the distal end pass the article;
subsequently closing the arms to clamp the article; and
after the clamping, pulling the article onto the transfer vehicle by opening the arms to provide a gap between the article and at least one of the arms, and retracting the arms in a state in which the hooks at the distal end are closed.

9. The transfer method using a transfer vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein during article drop off, a step for advancing the arms so as to protrude from the transfer vehicle in a state where a gap is provided between at least one of the arms and the article and where the hooks at a proximal end along a drop off direction as viewed from the transfer vehicle are closed is performed under control of the controller.

Assignees

• Ogawa Kazuhiko
• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Ogawa Kazuhiko

Classifications

• B65G1/065

  with self propelled cars · CPC title

• B65G1/06 Primary

  with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level (B65G1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/04 Primary

  mechanical · CPC title